Adjustable steel grade beam



Dec. '7, 192e. 1,609,912

M. MAZEAU ADJUSTABLE STEEL GRADE BEAM Filed August 19, 1925 2 Swnee'es-Snee'*v 1 lvlaruel mazeau 1M/WWW@ Dec. A7 1926.

M. MAZEAU ADJUSTABLE STEEL GRADE BEAM 1925 2 Smeets-Sheet 2 Filed August 19,

Fatented Dec. 7, 1926.

UN ITE.` STAT ES MARCEL MAzEAU, or JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA.

ADJUSTABLE STEEL GRADE BEAM.

nppncation filed` agua 1s, i925. sp1-mno, 51,232.

The present invention relates to grade boards or beams adapted for use in laying sewer and drain vpipes,.and ythe like, and has for an object-- to provide a device for use in 5 maintaining Vthe propergrade ofthe pipe being laid,and which may be constructed entirely of steel and capable of. adjustment toA different depths yand widths ot trenches for different jobs andv classesl of work.

io Another object of; the invention is to provide a grade boardor beam which when adjusted cannotmoveor settle out ot position even when vsubjected to -.heavy load or strains imposedfupon the grade beam by 115 workmen or by objects brought into 'Contact with or to bear upon they grade A further 'object of the invention is to provide a grade beam of thisV character the parts of which are normally inseparable Vso 2G that they cannot beiremo'ved and lost" and which when set intopositi'oncannot be easily knocked out of. adjustment Vsofas to maintain the proper grade without continuous'readjustrnent. i f f Y I The invention still. further aims to provide a grade beam of thisv character with uprights or postsc'apableoi insertion at their lower ends in'the earth orY which maybe attached tothe siding when thezsarnef is used,

:io the lposts having'iieetvorf members adaptedvto restfon the surta'ceot thefground e prevee thesaurus@ ne pose andere canting of the same undernormalconditions. Affurther bje'ct'is'to` prpvideacro's'sbeam 1.1i whichis capableof adjustnielitnot only vertically upon lsfupprti'ng posts but which may be lengthened.. or shortened to accommodate the grade beam to trenches or excavations ot different widths. N

*i i Another 'and further` object isv to provide a novel mounting'ffor the grade'line onfthe cross beam tor'ad-justaloly tixing` the pointof line to correctly'po'sition fit with respect to the lineofpipeunder Construction. The above and. various'objects and advantageslot' thisi-nvention w'ilVin part bende*- scribed in,4 and in .part understood from the following detaileddescription, the same being illustrated inthe accompanying draw- 50 ings, wherein: V l

1 is a perspective view ofl a grade beam constructed according tothe present invention and as applied to a trench. A

Fig. 2' is a'detail inner side'elevation of one of the posts of the grade'beam secured to a siding. i 'i i Fig. 3 is a side elevation ofthe cross beam of the device V'as appliedy tol the posts', parts being broken away. l

Fig. 4 isa top plan view of the cross beam applied to thepost's; the latter being in section. i' H` Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken substantially centrally throughthe cross beam applied to the'posts.

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective View ot, the intermediate and onebfthe end side ineinloers separated 'one' from the 'other lbut in their approximate relative positions.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged transverse Section `taken through the central'iportion ot the cross beam on the line 7-7 of '3, and.

F 1g. 8 isa similar section talren'onthe line 8 8 or Fig. 3, showing a portion of, the adj acentpost.

Referring to the drawings 10 designates a pair 'of posts each or vwhich comprisesfa T- beam the broad langeof which' is adapted to rface outwardly while the Aweb 11 is arranged to extend inwardly.' The lower end f the post 10 is taperedto apoint to provide a prong 12 adapted to penetrate the ground, yandthe posts lare limited 4in their downward.movement by toot pieces 13 which are secured crosswise onl the posts va suitable distance abovezfthej'prongs"12. The toot pi'ece's`1'3 areI of angle iron and are secured to the posts; with onel flange extending verltically'andhthe other flangelying horizr'o'ntally The vertical Jfla'ngesV are adapted to enterthefsurtace 'of thel earth .while the horizontal `flanges are adapted" to lie flat upon'the surface of, the earthto thereby anchor'y and support` the posts aga-inst twisting, canting and downward displacement."

Mounted upon Ithe posts 10 is a cross beam comprising intermediate and opposite 4end members for relative adjustment and 'for adjustment to diiierent heights upon the posts. This cross beam comprises an intermediate member 14E of T'4beam construction, the broad flange of which is arranged: horizontally and uppermost andthe web 15 otwhich extends downwardly andA is provided with a longitudinal slot 16 extending throughout a considerable portion of the length of the web'15. The intermediater member is' provided with a slide 17 comprising ay metal plate eX- tending across thev top of the broad 'flange of the member 14 and having its ends rolled downwardly about the edgesof the broad l iiange to hold the slideil' to Vthe plate butv admit the free movement thereof from end to end on the intermediate member. A stop pin 18 is mounted upon the opposite ends of the intermediate member 14 to prevent the. slide from being moved accident-ally from the intermediate member. rlhe slide carries a thumb screw 19 which is adapted to be turned down through the slide into engagement with the member 14 to hold the slide when adjusted. The slide is provided with a pin or post 20 about which may be looped a grade line 21 extending lhorizontally above and along the trench.

The member 14 carries opposite end men bers each of which comprises a pair of flat bars 22 slidably engaging against the opposite sides of the web and beneath the flange 14. 4Each pair of bars 22 is connected at their inner ends by a bolt 23 which eX- tends through the bars with its intermediate portions extending through the slot 16 so that the bolt 23 may be moved in the slot to slide the bars 22 in and out for extending and shortening the cross beam. The outer ends of each pair of bars is arranged kto lie against the opposite sides of the web 11 of the adjacent post 10 and are adapted to be pressed against the web 11 by a pair of clamping irons 24 which are pivotally connected to the pair of bars 22 by a bolt 25 which is spaced inwardly from the outer ends of the bars. The vclamping irons d24 eX- tend outwardly from the pivot bolt 25 and bear at their inner edges against the outer faces ofthe bars 22 oppositethe web 11 of the post. The outer ends of the clamping irons 24 are arched about and spaced from the opposite edges of the broad flange of the post- 10 and are connected together by a clamping bolt 26. l

The clamping bolt 26 -is provided with a winged nut 27 adapted to be turned for contracting the clamping irons 24 against the free ends of the bars 22 and impinging the same upon the web 11 of the post to hold the cross beam at the desired height thereon. rllhe bolts 23 at the inner ends of the bars 22 are provided also with winged nuts 28 adapted to bind the bars 22 against the oppositesides of the web 15 of the intermediate member when the desired adjustment is attained. All of the winged nuts are permanently held upon their respective bolts Vby Cotter pins 29 or the like to prevent detacl ment and accidental loss of the movable parts of the device. rlhe clamping irons 24 are substantially of triangular or bellcrank construction so that when their outer ends are contracted they transmit considerable pressure against the sides of the bars 22 and insure a firm grip upon the post.

1n ord-er to determine, and vto maintain the clamping irons 24 in proper positionl against the sides of the bars 22, the latter are provided with outturned lugs or flanges 30 at their upper edges and at their free ends beyond the pivot bolts 25 for the purpose of overlapping the clamping irons 24 and holding them from swinging upwardly upon their pivots 25. This maintains the clamping irons in proper alignment with the bars 22.

In use, as shown in Fig. 1 the posts 1() are inserted at their lower ends yin the ground with the foot pieces 13 engaging the upper surface of thev ground to anchor and hold the posts at opposite sides of a trench 31. The cross beam is raised or lowered upon the posts 10 to the desired height after the clamping irons have been suiiiciently released by unscrewing 4the winged nuts 27. The winged nuts are then again tightened to securely hold the cross beamV as adjusted. The winged nuts 2S are releasedsuiiciently to permit the end members of the cross beam to be drawn out or slid inwardly to meet the conditions of the width of the trench or excavation 31. After these adjustments are made, tlieslide 17 may now be moved over the intermediate member 14 to the desired line of the 'pipe 32 in the trench. rIhe slide 17 is then secured in adjusted positiony by the thumb screw 19.

By providing the foot pieces 13 on the posts 10, a rigid structure. is obtained which cannot b-e easily knocked out of adjustment or position and which' is capable of sustaining pressure from workmen or the like without changing the adjustment. j

Vhen posts 10 are secured to sheathing or sliding 33, or the like as shown in Fig. 2, bolts 34 or nails may be employed and secured through suitable openings formed in the prong portion of the posts.

.It vis ofcourse understood that various changes and modications may be made in the details of construction and design .of the above specifically describe-d embodiment of this invention withoutdeparting` from the spirit thereof, and restricted only by, the

.scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A grade beam comprisingV a pair of posts, a cross beam arranged between the posts, sai-d cross beam comprising an intermediate member Vand a pair of end members adjustably connected with said intermediate member, and clamping Ameans carried vby said end members, said clamping means being adapted to embrace said posts for holding the cross beam in apredetermined Aposition.

2. A gradebeam comprising a pair of posts, an intermediate member between the posts, end pieces a'djustably secured to said intermediate member, clamping Vmeans on said end pieces and adapted to bind on said posts, and a guide sli'dably mounted on said intermediate member. Y

3. A grade beam comprising a pair of llO posts, a cross beam including intermediate and end portions, means for adjustably securing the intermediate and end portions together, and means for securing the end portions in vertically adjusted positions upon the posts.

4. A grade beam comprising` a pair ot posts adapted tor vertical position, an eX- tensible cross beam mounted between the posts, clamping means secured to said cross beam at opposite ends thereof and adapted to hold the cross beam in a predetermined horizontal position with respect to the posts, and a guide slidably carried by said cross beam.

5. A grad-e beam comprising an extensible cross beam, clamps mounted at opposite ends ot the beam, a pair ot' posts adapted for Vertical placement, said clampsbeing` adapted to embrace the posts, and a guide slidably mounted on said cross beam.

6. A grade beam comprising the combination of an extensible cross beam, said cross beam being adapted to normally be in substantially horizontal position, a pair of posts, said posts being` adapted to be normally in substantially vertical position, means for securing the opposite ends of the cross beam to the. posts in a predetermined position, and a guide slidably carried by said4x cross beam and adapt-ed for horizontal movement therealong, said guide being adapted to be iiXed in a predetermined position along said cross beam.

7. A grade beam comprising a pair of posts, an intermediate member arranged between Vthe posts, pairs of bars arranged at opposite sides and opposite ends ot the intermediate member, clamping means connecting the inner ends of the bars to the intermediate member, and clamps carried upon the outer ends ot the bars to bind the latter against the opposite sides of the posts.

8. A grade beam comprising a pair of posts, an intermediate member between the posts, a pair of bars ateach en-d of the intermediate member arranged at opposite sides thereof, a clamping` bolt extending through the inner end of each pair of bars for binding the same together and against the opposite sides of the intermediate. member and hold the bars in adjusted position, a pair of clamping irons carried upon the outer end portionsof each pair of bars, and clamping means connecting the router ends of th'e clamping irons to bind the same against said bars and the. opposite sides ot an adjacent post.

9. A grade beam comprising a pair of spaced posts, an intermediate member between the posts, end members adjustably mounted on the intermediate member, clamps carried upon the outer ends of the end members for securing the same uponV the posts When adjusted, and a line carrying slide mounted on the intermediate member for adjustment thereon.

MARCEL MAZEAU. 

